TW201528100A - Multi-touch capacitive sensing surface - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques and systems for distinguishing between inadvertent contact and an intentional key press on a touch-sensitive input device, such as a keyboard or other like peripheral. In some embodiments, a system may include a first electrode disposed in a first plane, and a second electrode disposed in a second plane substantially parallel to the first plane. The system may also include one of a flexible dielectric material and an air gap spacing the first electrode from the second electrode; and a third electrode disposed in a third plane substantially parallel to the first plane. The third electrode may extend substantially parallel to the first electrode, and may be spaced from the first electrode by the one of the flexible dielectric material and the air gap.

Description

Multi-touch capacitive sensing surface

The present invention relates to a multi-touch capacitive sensing surface.

Traditional thin keyboard technology that omits mechanically movable keys does not provide satisfactory typing efficiency and user experience. A conventional touch-sensing keyboard utilizes a plurality of electrodes oriented in a grid. Typically, the first layer of parallel electrodes is driven with a constant charge while the second layer of vertical electrodes oriented perpendicular to the first layer is configured to receive a portion of the charge. When a conductor (e.g., a user's finger) approaches the keyboard, the electric field generated between the electrode layers is affected, thereby causing a change in the amount of charge received by the second layer. The known touch sensing keyboard determines the position of the keyboard touched by the conductor (for example, the touch point) according to the change of the amount of charge, and interprets the pressing of the corresponding key according to the determined position.

While known touch sensing keyboards are capable of determining touch point information, today's keyboard designs do not measure additional parameters (such as the pressure applied to the keyboard by the conductor) without the use of additional sensing techniques. A user typing on a conventional touch-sensing keyboard typically places his or her hand on a portion of the keyboard, which results in an accidental input received by a conventional touch-sensing keyboard. In order to distinguish between the user's intentional button and the accidental contact between the keyboard and the user's hand, resistive touch is used. The technology of today's keyboards can employ a force sensing resistor (FSR) layer to measure keyboard interaction with the user in a variety of locations. However, unfortunately, today's keyboards using resistive touch technology (FSR) cannot represent "pressure" information to distinguish between intentional touches by the user and accidental contact between the keyboard and the user's hand. In addition, FSR is a relatively expensive component, and the use of such an FSR can significantly increase the overall cost of the keyboard. It is also difficult to fabricate today's touch-sensing keyboards that enable a satisfactory correlation between a particular FSR location and one or more corresponding electrode locations.

The present invention describes a technique and system for distinguishing intentional or accidental touch contact between a user of a touch sensing input device (such as a keyboard, touch pad, touch screen, or the like). In some embodiments, the techniques described herein can determine the location on the surface of the device in which the contact occurs. In addition, this technique can determine the pressure associated with the contact, and the technique can depict the contact as intentional or unintentional depending on the determined location and/or pressure. For example, the technique can depict contact based on the capacitance associated with the contact. By depicting the contact in this manner, the systems and devices described herein avoid the performance of unexpected actions. Moreover, the devices described herein can be configured to determine pressure and/or other characteristics associated with such contact without the use of FSR or other similar components. Therefore, the cost can be reduced and the difficulties associated with manufacturing such a device can be minimized.

This Summary of the Invention provides a selection of concepts in a simplified form as described in the following embodiments. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, and is not intended to limit the claimed invention. The scope of the question.

100‧‧‧Architecture

102‧‧‧ Computing device

104‧‧‧Processor

106‧‧‧ memory

108‧‧‧ keyboard

110‧‧‧Auxiliary sensor

112‧‧‧ touch surface

114‧‧‧Display

116‧‧‧Classification module

118‧‧‧ keys

120‧‧‧ outer surface

122‧‧‧User's hand

124‧‧‧Power supply

202‧‧‧ Grounding shield

204‧‧‧Substrate

206‧‧‧ electrodes

208‧‧‧ first plane

210‧‧‧ dielectric materials

212‧‧‧ electrodes

214‧‧‧ second plane

216‧‧‧Grid

218‧‧‧Printed circuit board

220‧‧‧electrode

222‧‧‧ third plane

302‧‧‧ position

700‧‧‧ steps

702‧‧‧Steps

704‧‧‧Steps

706‧‧‧Steps

708‧‧ steps

710‧‧ steps

712‧‧‧Steps

714‧‧‧Steps

The embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the leftmost digit of the component symbol identifies the component as conforming to the first occurrence of the drawing. The same component symbols in different figures indicate similar or identical items.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture including a computing device configured to receive user input using a multi-touch capacitive sensing surface.

Figure 2 illustrates an example of the structure of an associated computing device utilizing a multi-touch capacitive sensing surface.

Figure 3 is a further illustration of the structure as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 illustrates another example of the structure of an associated computing device utilizing a multi-touch capacitive sensing surface.

Figure 5 is a further illustration of the structure as shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an example of a capacitance diagram associated with a keyboard having a multi-touch capacitive sensing surface.

Figure 7 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process of receiving user input and depicting user input.

Embodiments of the present invention are at least a technique and system for obtaining user input, at least partially receivable from a keyboard to improve typing efficiency and user experience. Embodiments described herein may be applied to a keyboard, or similar human interface device (HID), and may include one or more buttons or buttons. The keyboard used herein can be a physical keyboard in conjunction with a computing device or as a peripheral device to the computing device (i.e., made of tangible material using physical structures). The physical keyboard can be from a piece of paper to any structure of the structure and thickness of a keyboard having a mechanically movable key switch structure. For example, the tablet or plate-shaped (e.g., using the Touch Surface ^TM manufactured of a plate of Redmond, WA of Microsoft Cover ^TM), used in the notebook or laptop computer, a keyboard, and the like may be conceivable to use In an embodiment of the invention. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are also applicable to other similar types of HIDs (ie, HIDs having a plurality of keys), pointing devices with buttons or buttons, joysticks, remote input devices for televisions or the like, Game system controllers, mobile phone keypads, car user input mechanisms, home automation (such as keyboards embedded in furniture, walls, etc.), and the like. The term "external keyboard" is sometimes used herein to mean any keyboard, including those listed above, that is detachably connected (via a wired or wireless connection) to the associated computing device. Any keyboard system that is "external" to the computing device is not a soft keyboard on the screen, and can be thought of as being used in the embodiments disclosed herein, whether it is a physical or virtual keyboard, and the soft keyboard on the screen is displayed in the calculation. The output of the device is displayed on the keyboard GUI of the screen.

The techniques and systems disclosed herein utilize advanced touch sensing surfaces Set to receive and process information that can be affected by a number of different user processes. The device of the present invention can utilize information received in a variety of different ways via touch sensing surfaces. For example, the processor and/or classification module of the device may classify the information as intentional or accidental. The processor can control the device to produce an output corresponding to an intentional input, such as a textual output (such as a character or word output). The processor can also control the device to avoid actions associated with accidental input, while enhancing the user experience.

The techniques and systems described herein can be implemented in a variety of ways. Exemplary embodiments are provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Exemplary computing system

1 illustrates an exemplary architecture 100 including a computing device 102 configured to receive information from a user associated with one or more touch sensing input devices associated with computing device 102 The form of input. For example, computing device 102 can be a tablet or notebook computer configured to accept information from a touch sensing surface of a keyboard, touch pad, touch screen, or other similar peripheral device. In some embodiments, device 102 can be configured to utilize surface recognition for unintended user input (eg, touch contact, air input, etc.) and to avoid performing operations associated with such input. For example, device 102 can evaluate contextual information, such as the pressure applied by a user to a surface when the user's hand contacts device 102. The device 102 can also evaluate additional information, such as the location of such contacts, and can classify the contacts as intentional or accidental based on the received information. When the contacts are classified as intentional, the device 102 can perform actions associated with the contacts, such as outputting desired letters, numbers, or symbols associated with the corresponding keys, selecting interface elements, moving mouse pointers or cursors, scrolling pages, and the like. Conversely, when the contact is classified as an accident, the associated action may not be performed.

The device 102 can represent a laptop, a desktop, a smart phone, an e-reader device, a mobile handset, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable navigation device, a portable gaming device, a game console, Tablets, watches, portable media players, etc. In some cases, device 102 may include a mobile device, while in other cases, device 102 may include Fixtures.

The device 102 can be equipped with one or more processors 104, memory 106. A keyboard 108, an auxiliary sensor 110, a touch surface 112, and/or a display 114. In some embodiments, the touch surface 112 of the device 102 can provide a soft keyboard 108. Although not shown in FIG. 1, device 102 may also include or be associated with one or more network interfaces, other input and/or output peripheral devices (eg, mouse, non-integrated keyboard, joystick, microphone) , cameras, speakers, listers, etc.), and/or other components typically associated with computing devices. Some or all of the above-described components of device 102, whether illustrated or not shown, may be in communication with one another and/or via one or more busbars or other known components. This connection is schematically illustrated in Figure 1.

One or more processors 104 may include a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), microprocessor, etc. Processor 104 may alternatively or additionally include one or more hardware logic components. For example, without limitation, exemplary types of hardware logic components can be used to include a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an application specific standard product (ASSP), a system level chip system (SOC), Complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), etc. The processor 104 can be operatively coupled to and/or in communication with the memory 106 and/or other components of the device 102 described herein. In some embodiments, processor 104 may also include onboard memory configured to store information associated with various operations and/or functions of processor 104.

Memory 106 can include power operatively coupled to processor 104 The brain can read one or a combination of media. Computer readable media can include computer storage media and/or communication media. Computer storage media includes any method or technology Volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented by storing information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other materials. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read only Memory (ROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD) Or other optical storage, magnetic tape, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other non-transportable media for storing information by means of a computing device. For this purpose, the communication medium may implement computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in modulated data signals (such as carrier waves or other transmission mechanisms). As defined herein, computer storage media does not include communication media.

Device 102 can communicate with one or more devices, servers, service providers, or other similar components via one or more networks (not shown). One or more networks may include any one or combination of a plurality of different types of networks, such as a cellular network, a wireless network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and a personal area network (PAN). And the internet. In addition, the service provider can provide one or more services to the device 102. The service provider may include one or more computing devices, such as one or more desktop computers, laptops, servers, and the like. The one or more computing devices can be configured in a cluster, a data center, a cloud computing environment, or a combination thereof. In one example, one or more computing devices provide cloud computing resources, including computing resources, storage resources, and the like, and are remotely coupled to device 102 for operation.

The memory 106 can include one or more "modules" configured Software function. The term "module" is intended to mean an exemplary segmentation of a software that is convenient for discussion and is not intended to represent any type of requirement or method, manner, or organization. Therefore, when discussing various "modules", their functions and/or similar functions can be arranged differently (for example, combined into a smaller number of modules, shredded into a larger number of modules, etc.). Moreover, while certain functions and modules are described herein as being implemented by software and/or firmware executed by processor 104, in other embodiments, any or all of the modules may be otherwise hard by device 102. Body components (eg, as ASICs, dedicated processing units, etc.) are implemented in whole or in part to perform the functions described. In some cases, the functions and/or modules are implemented as part of the operating system. In other cases, the functions and/or modules are implemented as part of a device driver (such as a driver for a touch surface), firmware, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the memory 106 can include a classification module 116. Although not shown in FIG. 1, in other embodiments, memory 106 may additionally or alternatively include a learning module and/or one or more additional modules. Although the classification module 116 is illustrated as being included in the device 102 in the architecture 100 of FIG. 1, alternatively, the classification module 116, the learning module, and/or other modules associated with the device 102 may include In the above service providers or the Internet. Thus, in some cases, device 102 can function as an input/output device that receives user input and output content, while a service provider performs functions that classify user input, learning information, and other operations.

Classification module 116 can be categorized through device 102 (eg, via keyboard 108) And/or touch surface 112) receiving user input (eg, touch contact, air input, etc.). Classification can be based on contextual information and/or other types of information. For example, the classification can be based on the location associated with the location at which the keyboard 108 is in contact. News. In other examples, the classification may be based on location information and/or stress information associated with the contact. For example, the classification can be based at least in part on the pressure applied to the keyboard 108 by the user touching the keyboard 108. This classification may be stored in memory 106 and/or provided to processor 104 by communication module 116 for further operation of device 102.

In some embodiments, a learning module (not shown) can learn about Information about the user interaction of device 102. For example, the learning module can learn the average typing rate of the user (for example, the number of keystrokes per unit time), the characteristics of the user's hand (such as the user's finger, the size of the palm, etc.), and the user after typing The touch surface 112 and the like are often used. This information can be used to create a personalized user experience and/or profile for the touch surface 112 and/or other input devices. Such personalized user experience and/or configuration files may be stored in memory 106 and/or provided to processor 104 for further operation of device 102.

In some embodiments, portions of keyboard 108 may be comparable to keyboards The other parts of 108 are associated with a higher degree of intentional contact. For example, keyboard 108 can include a set of mechanical or pressure sensing buttons, while in other cases keyboard 108 can be implemented via a touch screen or other type of touch surface 112 as described herein. The buttons of keyboard 108 may include alphanumeric keys (such as letters or numbers), control keys (such as displacement, input, F1-F12, ESC, etc.), or any other type of key 118. Such a key 118 can be disposed, substantially embedded in, and/or formed on the outer surface 120 of the keyboard 108. The keyboard 108 of Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary layout, but it should be understood that the embodiments described herein are not limited to any particular keyboard layout, and thus any number of keys 118 having any arrangement or layout may be used. The keyboard does not change the basic features of device 102. The keys 118 can be actuated or unactuated, physical or virtual, and each key 118 can be appropriately labeled to identify a particular key with one or more characters (eg, letters, numbers, symbols, etc.). The key 118 can generally record a particular character, symbol or function after the key 118 is activated, and the activation of the key 118 can be determined from the detection of an input event as described below.

In some embodiments, the outer surface 120 of the keyboard 108 can include touch Control surface 112. In such an embodiment, if the context information (ie, the location and/or pressure information indicating the touch contact) indicates that the user's hand 122 is on the outside and/or is not one or more of the keys 118 and/or touches The location associated with surface 112 contacts outer surface 120, and classification module 116 can classify the touch contact as unintentional. On the other hand, if the information indicates that the user's finger and/or other portions of the user's hand 122 are touching one or more of the keys 118 and/or the touch surface 112, the sorting module 116 can touch Controlled contacts are classified as intentional. Other examples of categorical touch contacts will be discussed below.

The auxiliary sensor 110 can represent the proximity of the detecting object to the device 102. Near sensors (such as sensors that detect the user's grip device 102, etc.), presence sensors, infrared (IR) / thermal sensors, Wi-Fi® sensors, cameras, microphones, and the like. In some cases, the camera and/or microphone can be used to detect an object approaching device 102 (eg, by analyzing video or audio of an object approaching the device). While many of the exemplary techniques discussed herein describe user input as corresponding to touch contact, the technique can be similarly applied to other types of user input, such as air input. As used herein, "air input" may refer to any type of input that receives (eg, transmits air) without contacting the outer surface 120. In one case, the air input contains an air attitude, such as the user waving to open the action, the user maintains the hand In a particular direction or manner (such as a fist or a thumbs up), or any other type of body movement or position. Thus, in some cases, the auxiliary sensor 110 of the device 102 can include a camera, a temperature sensor, a proximity sensor, an IR sensor, a microphone, or other device to detect air input.

Touch surface 112 can include any configured to detect touch contacts Type of digital converter. Detection can be based on capacitive, optical, or any other sensing technique. In one example, touch surface 112 includes a touchpad (also referred to as a trackpad) having a tactile sensor to sense (contact area) touch, pressure, and/or force. Alternatively or additionally, the touch surface 112 can include a touch screen. In some cases, touch surface 112 can be implemented as a device that includes a touchpad and a mouse (eg, a combined touchpad mouse device externally or integrated into device 102). Moreover, in some cases, touch surface 112 can be implemented as a touch screen display configured to display content, while a touch pad can be configured to not display content.

Device 102 can be operatively coupled to power source 124. In some real In an embodiment, the power source 124 can include a rechargeable battery that is removably coupled to the device 102. In such an embodiment, the power source 124 can be disposed substantially within a portion of the device 102 and can be removed or replaced as needed. Alternatively, power source 124 can include a wall outlet or other similar source that can be connected to an external DC power source of device 102. The power source 124 can be operatively coupled to the processor 104 of the device 102, the keyboard 108, the auxiliary sensor 110, and/or other components, and can be configured to provide electrical power to the components during operation of the device 102. Device 102 and/or power source 124 may include one or more drivers, transformers, power circuits, converters, voltage regulators, and/or the like (not shown) configured to be regulated by power source 124 as needed. The electrical power provided.

Exemplary device

2 and 3 illustrate exemplary structural details of the device 102 having a multi-touch capacitive sensing surface of FIG. More specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates a partial exploded view of keyboard 108 associated with device 102. Figure 3 illustrates a side view of the keyboard 108 shown in Figure 2. As indicated above, keyboard 108 is an example of an input device that includes a multi-touch capacitive sensing surface, while other input devices including multi-touch capacitive sensing surfaces as described herein can include pressure sensing The touch input device, such as the pressure sensing touch surface 112, may include a touch panel and/or a touch screen. The keyboard 108 can be embedded in the computing device 102 or removably coupled to the computing device 102 as an external keyboard. For example, keyboard 108 can be physically coupled to computing device 102 via electrical coupling (eg, wires, pins, connectors, etc.), or keyboard 108 can be wirelessly coupled to a computing device, such as via a short-wave radio frequency (eg, Bluetooth) Or another suitable wireless communication protocol is coupled to computing device 102.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices (eg, touch surface 112) may include a plurality of components configured to determine a change in capacitance or capacitance, and these components may include multi-touch capacitive The components of the surface, device and/or keyboard 108 and/or touch surface 112 are sensed. More specifically, the components of these components may be referred to as a "stacked" configuration configured to provide and/or determine the location of multiple touch and/or air contacts using external capacitive sensing techniques using various capacitive sensing techniques. In these embodiments, the stacked configurations described herein can also be configured to determine the pressure associated with such contact, such as the pressure applied by the user at the determined contact location. Components of the present invention, such as keyboard components and/or touch surface components, may be operatively coupled to a processor such as device 102 104, memory 106, power source 124, and/or other components, and these components can be configured to provide data in the form of electrical signals to these device components for processing.

In Figures 2 and 3, the keyboard 108 and/or the touch surface 112 can include The base layer includes a grounding grid or shield 202. In some embodiments, the ground shield 202 can be mounted to, and/or otherwise substantially housed in, a housing (not shown) of the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input device (eg, touch surface 112). in. Alternatively, the ground shield 202 can include a keyboard 108 and/or other touch input device on the bottom surface. In some embodiments, the ground shield 202 can include a support layer configured to substantially eliminate electrical interference from the surrounding environment. For example, in applications where the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices are disposed and/or used on a surface having an uneven or non-uniform dielectric constant, the ground shield 202 can be configured to reduce and/or approximate Electrical interference caused by these materials is eliminated, and these materials are disposed in relatively close proximity to the capacitive sensing components of the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices. In some embodiments, the ground shield 202 can be made of any material having a relatively low dielectric constant, and these materials can include, for example, a silicone resin, a polymer, or other similar materials. These materials may have a dielectric constant of, for example, between about 1 and about 5. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the ground shield 202 can be omitted.

The electrode support substrate 204 can be disposed on and/or operatively connected to Ground shield 202. Such a substrate 204 can provide a substantially rigid pedestal with one or more electrodes 206. In some embodiments, the substrate 204 can be substantially flat or, alternatively, can have any slight curvature configured to provide the ergonomic advantages of the keyboard 108. For example, the substrate 204 or portions thereof can be generally raised to provide a more comfortable typing experience for the user. The substrate 204 can be as described above One or more of the materials of the ground shield 202 are made. For example, substrate 204 can be made from one or more polymers having a relatively low dielectric constant. Thus, in addition to providing support for the electrodes 206 described above, the substrate 204 can further assist in reducing and/or substantially eliminating electrical interference caused by materials having an uneven or non-uniform dielectric constant and disposed adjacent to the keyboard 108 and/or Electrodes 206 and/or other capacitive sensing components of other touch input devices.

The electrode 206 can include a keyboard 108 and/or other touch input device A plurality of first electrodes are employed for determining capacitance, relative capacitance, and/or other characteristics of the electric field formed during use of the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices. In some embodiments, the various electrodes described herein can include one or more capacitive sensors configured to measure a change in capacitance as it approaches a conductor. These electrodes can include any type of sensor configured to detect the presence of a conductor, such as a finger of a user's hand 122, or other object having a different dielectric constant than air. In some embodiments, electrode 206 can comprise a first conductive layer made of copper, indium tin oxide, silver, carbon, printing ink, and/or any other known electrically conductive material. During use, a voltage can be applied to the conductive layer to create an electric field that extends from the conductive layer. When the conductor is placed in an electric field, a capacitor is formed, and the electrode 206 can measure a change in capacitance due to the presence of the conductor in the electric field. For example, the capacitance may change as the distance between the conductive layer of the electrode 206 and the conductor changes. Electrode 206 can be configured to generate one or more signals indicative of such changes in capacitance and/or capacitance, which can vary depending on the distance between electrode 206 and the conductor. These signals can be sent by electrodes 206 to, for example, processor 104 and/or memory 106 for analysis. Various algorithms can be used by processor 104 to determine such capacitance or capacitance changes based on these signals. should It is understood that any type of converter and/or other electrical component can be used with processor 104 to condition and/or interpret the signals generated by electrode 206. For example, processor 104 can include a software and/or hardware converter (not shown) that can be configured to convert the capacitive input signal generated by electrode 206 to a value representative of the measured capacitance or " count".

In some embodiments, the electrode 206 can be disposed on the first plane 208, It can be arranged adjacent and/or substantially embedded in the dielectric material 210. In an alternative embodiment, the dielectric material 210 illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 can include an air gap. In some embodiments of the invention, the dielectric material and/or air gap 210 may space the plurality of first electrodes 206 from the plurality of second electrodes 212. In such an embodiment, the plurality of second electrodes 212 can be disposed on the second plane 214 and the second plane 214 can be substantially parallel to the first plane 208. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the plurality of first electrodes 206 can extend substantially parallel to at least one adjacent electrode 206 of the plurality of first electrodes 206. Similarly, each of the plurality of second electrodes 212 can extend substantially parallel to at least one adjacent electrode 212 of the plurality of second electrodes 212. Additionally, the plurality of first electrodes 206 can extend in a first direction, and the second plurality of electrodes 212 can extend in a second direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the electrode 206 disposed on the first plane 208 may extend in the X-axis direction, and the electrode 212 disposed on the second plane 214 may extend in the Z-axis direction. The plurality of first and second electrodes 206, 212 may be spaced apart from one another in the Y-axis direction by a dielectric material and/or air gap 210.

The dielectric material and/or air gap 210 may be characterized by a relatively low and substantially uniform dielectric constant. For example, embodiments suitable for use in the present invention The dielectric material 210 used may include tantalum resin, polymer, foam, rubber, and/or the like. In some embodiments, such dielectric material 210 can comprise a ruthenium rubber foam having a dielectric constant of less than about 5. In some embodiments, the ruthenium rubber foam and/or other dielectric material 210 used in the present design may be characterized by an increased dielectric constant as pressure is applied. This increase in dielectric constant can be governed by, for example, a pressure applied and/or by other relationships (e.g., naturally logarithmically, roughly exponential, or substantially hierarchical).

In addition, an air gap 210 having a dielectric constant of 1 can be used in The plurality of first electrodes 206 are spaced apart from the plurality of second electrodes 212 in the Y-axis direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the dielectric material and/or air gap 210 may space the plurality of first electrodes 206 from the plurality of second electrodes 212 at any desired distance d in the Y-axis direction. In some embodiments, the distance d can be substantially equal to the height and/or thickness of the dielectric material and/or air gap 210. Moreover, as shown at least in FIG. 3, the distance d can be less than the corresponding height and/or thickness of the dielectric material and/or air gap 210.

As described above, the plurality of first electrodes 206 can be disposed to be substantially vertical The plurality of second electrodes 212, and in this configuration, the plurality of electrodes 206, 212 can overlap each other to form a capacitive sensing node grid 216 as viewed from the Y-axis. Thus, the plurality of first and second electrodes 206, 212 can be configured to measure and/or determine a change in capacitance of the node due to the proximity of the conductor (eg, the user's hand 122) to the node. In some embodiments, the nodes formed by the plurality of first and second electrodes 206, 212 can be configured to determine the pressure applied by the fingers and/or other portions of the user's hand 122 as the hand 122 contacts the outer surface 120. Furthermore, as will be described in more detail below, formed by a plurality of second electrodes 212 One or more of the nodes and one or more additional electrodes of the keyboard 108 can be configured to determine the position at which the fingers and/or other portions of the user's hand 122 contact the outer surface 120. Due to the above configuration, the keyboard 108 of the present invention is capable of determining and/or monitoring the multi-touch of the user.

Keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices (eg, touch surface 112) The various structures may include a pressure sensing touchpad and/or a touch screen, etc., as described above, the capacitive sensing node with respect to the grid 216 may operate as a self-capacitor system, a mutual capacitance system, and/or a combination of these systems. . When configured as a self-capacitance system, the capacitance associated with a node formed by the spatially separated electrodes described herein can be determined relative to a known or reference capacitance. For example, in an embodiment, the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices include a ground shield 202, the capacitance of each node being determinable relative to ground. In such an embodiment, at least one of the plurality of first electrodes 206 and at least one of the plurality of second electrodes 212 are operatively coupled to the power source 124 via the processor 104 and/or other components of the device 102, It can be driven by the power source 124 at a constant voltage.

In Figures 2 and 3, the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices (e.g. The touch surface 112) can also include a substantially planar printed circuit board 218. In some embodiments, printed circuit board 218 can comprise any substantially flexible material, such as Kapton®, or other common circuit board materials configured for touch sensing devices. Printed circuit board 218 can serve as a platform or support structure for one or more electrodes, such as those described herein with respect to keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices. For example, the plurality of second electrodes 212 can be disposed on a first side of the printed circuit board 218, substantially embedded on a first side of the printed circuit board 218, and/or on a first side of the printed circuit board 218, printed Circuit board 218 One side faces the dielectric material and/or air gap 210. The printed circuit board 218 can also include a second side opposite the first side and facing away from the dielectric material and/or air gap 210. In some embodiments, printed circuit board 218 can be spaced apart by first dielectric 206 by a dielectric material and/or air gap 210. In these embodiments, the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices (such as the touch surface 112) may also include a plurality of third electrodes 220 disposed on the second side of the printed circuit board 218, substantially embedded in the printed circuit board. The second side of 218 is and/or secured to the second side of printed circuit board 218. In these embodiments, the plurality of third electrodes 220 may space the plurality of second electrodes 212 by the width, thickness, and/or other portions of the printed circuit board 218. Similarly, a plurality of second electrodes 212 may be disposed between the plurality of first electrodes 206 and the plurality of third electrodes 220.

At least one of the plurality of third electrodes 220 may be arranged In the third plane 222, the third plane 222 is substantially parallel to the first plane 208 and/or the second plane 214. In these embodiments, the third electrode 220 can extend substantially parallel to (ie, in the X-axis direction) at least one of the first electrodes 206 and can extend substantially perpendicular to at least one of the second electrodes 212. . Further, as described above, each of the plurality of third electrodes 220 may be disposed substantially parallel to each other with respect to the plurality of first electrodes 206. Additionally, at least one of the first and second electrodes 206, 212 can be configured to determine a conductor that contacts the outer surface 120 (eg, a finger of the user's hand 122 via one of self-capacitance measurement and mutual capacitance measurement) ) the associated first feature. In these embodiments, at least one of the second and third electrodes 212, 220 can be configured to determine a second associated with the conductor contacting the outer surface 120 based on the other of the self capacitance measurement and the mutual capacitance measurement. feature. Moreover, in some embodiments, described herein One or more of the electrodes 206, 212, 218 can be configured to operate as a proximity sensor to detect an object access device 102, similar to the auxiliary sensor 110 described above. Such operation of the electrodes 206, 212, 218 may depend on receiving significant signals, such as via one of self capacitance measurements and mutual capacitance measurements.

In some embodiments, the plurality of first electrodes 206 or a plurality of The two electrodes 212 can be operatively coupled to the power source 124 via a drive circuit associated with the processor 104. In these embodiments, the other of the plurality of first electrodes 206 and the plurality of second electrodes 212 can be operatively coupled to the sensing circuitry (not shown) in the processor 104 and/or the classification module 116. In these embodiments, driving one or more of the electrodes by the power source 124 can include a transmitter of the self-capacitance system, and one or more electrodes operatively coupled to the sensing circuit can include a receiver of the self-capacitance system . Such a receiver of a self-capacitance system can determine the capacitance of each node when the conductor approaches and/or contacts, such as outer surface 120 (and this determination can be made with respect to ground).

On the other hand, when configured as a mutual capacitance sensing system, it can be decided The mutual capacitance between the electrode 206 of the plurality of first electrodes and the electrode 212 of the plurality of second electrodes. For example, in a mutual capacitance sensing arrangement, the mutual capacitance may be determined by each node formed by the intersection of spatially separated electrodes 206, 212. In these embodiments, the plurality of first electrodes 206 or the plurality of second electrodes 212 can be operatively coupled to the power source 124 via a drive circuit associated with the processor 104. Similarly, as described above, the other of the plurality of first electrodes 206 and the plurality of second electrodes 212 can be operatively coupled to the sensing circuitry (not shown) in the processor 104 and/or the classification module 116. . In these embodiments, one or more electrodes driven by power source 124 may comprise a transmitter of a mutual capacitance system while One or more electrodes operatively coupled to the sensing circuit can include a receiver of the mutual capacitance system.

However, in a mutual capacitance sensing system, the connection to the sensing circuit The plurality of electrodes can be operatively coupled to the power source 124 and the other plurality of electrodes driven by the voltage to determine the mutual capacitance of each node. For example, during operation of a voltage that can be applied to each of the plurality of first electrodes 206, and due to the capacitive relationship of each node between the electrodes 206, 212, such a voltage can result in a plurality of seconds. The measurable current and/or voltage in the electrode 212. The relationship between the voltage applied to the plurality of first electrodes 206 and the current and/or voltage appearing in the plurality of second electrodes 212 serves as a capacitance between the plurality of first electrodes 206 and the plurality of second electrodes 212. Moreover, as discussed above, this determined mutual capacitance may be affected by one or more of the conductors (e.g., the fingers and/or other portions of the user's hand 122) being disposed adjacent to the node.

In some embodiments, keyboard 120 can include a self-capacitor system and mutual Capacitor combination system. Such a combined system can be configured to substantially simultaneously determine various characteristics associated with keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices, such as touch surface 112. As used herein, the term "substantially simultaneously" may include precisely simultaneous, and nearly simultaneous events. For example, substantially simultaneous events may begin at approximately the same time and end at approximately the same time. In addition, substantially simultaneous events may occur during at least partially overlapping time periods. For example, the first and second electrodes 206, 212 can be configured to determine the pressure applied by the user's hand 122 to the outer surface 120 via self-capacitance measurements, while the second and third electrodes 212, 220 can be configured to pass via The mutual capacitance measurement determines the position 302 of the user's hand 122 that contacts the outer surface 120 of the surface 120. In these embodiments, the first, the first The second and third electrodes 206, 212, 220 can be configured to determine the pressure and position associated with such contact substantially simultaneously.

In an additional embodiment, the first and second electrodes 206, 212 can be matched The pressure is determined via mutual capacitance measurements, the location 302 on the surface 120, and/or other characteristics associated with the conductor contact surface 120. In another embodiment, the second and third electrodes 212, 220 can be configured to determine pressure, position 302 on the surface 120, and/or other features associated with the conductor contact surface 120 via self-capacitance measurements. Moreover, although the first and third electrodes 206, 220 have been primarily described herein as including transmitter electrodes driven by the voltage received from the power source 124, the second electrode 212 has been primarily described herein as comprising an operatively coupled To the receiver electrode of the sensing circuit of processor 104 (eg, a transmitter-receiver-transmitter (TRT) configuration), in an alternate embodiment, this configuration may be reversed. For example, in other embodiments, the first and third electrodes 206, 220 can include a receiver electrode operatively coupled to the sensing circuit of the processor 104, and the second electrode 212 can include a slave power source 124 Transmitter electrodes driven by the received voltage (eg, Receiver-Transmitter-Receiver (RTR) configuration).

In addition, although the first and second electrodes 206, 212 are primarily in this document Described as being configured to determine the pressure applied to surface 120, while second and third electrodes 212, 220 have been primarily described herein as being configured to determine that contact occurs at location 302 of surface 120, in an alternate embodiment, first The second electrodes 206, 212 can be configured to determine such a location 302, and the second and third electrodes 212, 220 can be configured to determine such pressure. In addition, although FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a keyboard 108 including three first electrodes 206, three second electrodes 212, and three third electrodes 220, and/or other touch input devices (eg, touch surface 112) Real In another embodiment, the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices (such as the touch surface 112) may include any number (greater than or less than 3) of the first, second, and third electrodes 206, 212. 220. By increasing the number of electrodes 206, 212, 220 used, the resolution and/or sensitivity of the keyboard 108 or other pressure sensing touch surface 112 for sensing capacitance and/or other characteristics can be improved. In an embodiment, the number of utilized electrodes 206, 212, 220 may be determined depending on the shape, size, configuration, and/or other characteristics of the outer surface 120 and/or the touch surface 112.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer surface 120 can cover at least one of the keyboard 108 and/or the electrode 220 of the touch input device (eg, the touch surface 112) and/or the remaining components. In these embodiments, the outer surface 120 can include a protective layer of the keyboard 108 and/or the touch input device having a relatively low dielectric constant. As noted above, this relatively low dielectric constant can be less than about 5. For example, outer surface 120 can comprise a substantially transparent and/or relatively thin polymer, plastic, and/or the like that is configured to prevent electrostatic field shunting during contact between outer surface 120 and the conductor. For example, the thickness, composition, dielectric constant, and/or other features of the outer surface 120 can be selected to minimize and/or substantially eliminate the electrodes 206, 212 when the finger of the user's hand 122 contacts the surface 120, An electrostatic field shunt generated by one or more of 220. By substantially eliminating electrostatic field shunting in this manner, keyboard 108 and/or touch input device outer surface 120 and/or other components can assist in distinguishing between unintentional touch contact and intended input by the user. For example, minimizing such electrostatic field shunting can enable the various electrodes 206, 212, 220 to determine a relatively large change in capacitance between the unintentional contact of the user's hand 122 and the intended contact of the user's finger. In some embodiments, the capacitance between the overlapping electrodes of the keyboard 108 and/or the touch input device (C _TXRX ) may be determined by the processor 104 and/or the classification module 116 according to the following equation: C _TXRX = ε ₀ ε _r ( A / d) where ε ₀ = 8.854 (10-12) F / m; ε _r = dielectric constant of the material (air = 1); A = electrode overlap region; and d = Y-axis direction between the electrodes distance.

When a user's hand 122 or another tool (such as a conductor) applies pressure (eg, a force) to the outer surface 120, the first may be reduced due to keyboard bias and/or compression of the dielectric material and/or air gap 210. The distance d between the electrode 206 and the second electrode 212. According to the above equation, this reduction in distance d will result in a corresponding increase in the determined capacitance C _TXRX . For example, a corresponding decrease in contact and distance d may result in an increase in self-capacitance measured between the plurality of first electrodes 206 and the plurality of second electrodes 212. The electrodes 206, 212 can determine this increase in self-capacitance, and the processor 104 can determine the relative pressure applied to the keyboard 108 and/or the touch input device depending on the increase. It should be understood that the determination of these capacitances and corresponding pressures using the above equations can be used for RTR and TRT configurations of keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices, such as touch surface 112.

When the electrodes shown in Figures 2 and 3 are operated in the RTR configuration, The second electrode 212 can be driven sequentially (eg, in the order 212a, 212b, 212c) by the voltage received from the power source 124. In this configuration, the first and third electrodes 206, 220 can scan the charged second electrode 212 substantially simultaneously to measure and/or determine the drive voltage. For example, the pair of first and third electrodes 206, 220 can scan the charged second electrode 212 substantially simultaneously in sequence. This kind of roughly the same The sequential scans can be performed in pairs 206a, 220a; 206b, 220b, 206c, 220c in pairs. In this manner, in the RTR configuration, the first and third electrodes 206, 220 can "share" the drive voltages directed to each of the charged second electrodes 212 during the scan period. Since the plurality of first and third electrodes 206, 220 scan the second electrode 212 substantially simultaneously in the RTR configuration, the pressure and position information can be determined substantially simultaneously. However, since the driving voltage is shared by the first and third electrodes 206, 220, the proximity of the conductor to the keyboard 108 and/or the touch input device can relatively easily shunt the electrostatic field established by the electrodes 206, 212, 220. Thus, in some cases, multiple or relatively high pressures touched by the fingers of the user's hand 122 may reduce the signals received by the first and third electrodes 206, 220.

On the other hand, when the electrodes shown in Figures 2 and 3 are configured in the TRT In operation, the first and third electrodes 206, 220 can be individually driven using the voltage received from the power source 124. This configuration results in that even if portions of the electrostatic field established by the electrodes 206, 212, 220 are shunted by the proximity and/or contact of the outer surface 120, the separately driven first and third electrodes 206, 220 can each separately provide a component. The charge is to the second electrode 212. Thus, the TRT configuration eliminates the need to share the voltage provided by the power supply 124 between the two sets of receiver electrodes (the first and third electrodes 206, 220). However, in the TRT configuration, the first and third electrodes 206, 220 can be sequentially driven by the voltage received from the power source 124, and the plurality of third electrodes 220 can be sequentially driven before the plurality of first electrodes 206. For example, in the TRT configuration, the plurality of third electrodes 220 can be set by using the driving voltages of the sequences 220a, 220b, and 220c, and the plurality of second electrodes 212 can be disposed with each of the third electrodes 220 by using the driving voltage. A plurality of third electrodes 220 are sequentially scanned in sequence 212a, 212b, and 212c. In this way, first or The "touch" map can be generated by the second and third electrodes 212, 220. Once the touch map is generated, the plurality of first electrodes 206 can be driven in the order 206a, 206b, 206c, and the plurality of second electrodes 212 can be in sequence 212a, 212b, 212c as the first electrode 206 is set by the driving voltage. A plurality of first electrodes 206 are sequentially scanned. Thus, a second or "pressure" map can be generated by the first and second electrodes 206, 212. Since the drive voltages provided to the transmitter electrodes 206, 220 are not shared in a TRT configuration, this configuration is typically characterized by a relatively high signal strength. However, since the first and third electrodes 206, 220 are scanned separately (i.e., substantially different), the TRT configuration typically does not substantially simultaneously determine pressure and position information (i.e., pressure and touch map).

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the structural details of an additional embodiment of the keyboard 108. As noted above, keyboard 108 is an example of an input device that includes a multi-touch capacitive sensing surface, while other touch input devices including multi-touch capacitive sensing surfaces as described herein can include pressure The sensing touch input device, such as the pressure sensing touch surface 112, may include a touch panel and/or a touch screen. More specifically, FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices (eg, touch surface 112), wherein the third electrode 220 is omitted, and wherein the second electrode 212 is disposed, substantially Embedded in, and/or otherwise secured to, a second surface (eg, top) of printed circuit board 218. Figure 5 illustrates a side view of the keyboard and/or other touch input device shown in Figure 4. In the illustrated example, the components, materials, configurations, orientations, and/or other aspects of the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are substantially identical to the second and third. Corresponding aspects of the keyboard 108 and/or other touch input devices shown in the figures. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, various keyboards 108 and/or herein Other touch input devices are suitable for the embodiment shown in Figures 2-5.

For example, in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 5, the first The second electrodes 206, 212 can comprise a self-capacitance sensing system or a mutual capacitance sensing system as described above. For example, in a self-capacitance sensing system, the capacitance of the first and/or second electrodes 206, 212 can be determined with reference to ground, and the ground shield 202 can be used for these capacitance decisions. In these embodiments, at least one of the first and second electrodes 206, 212 can be configured to determine the pressure applied by the finger of the user's hand 122 to the outer surface 120, while the first and second electrodes 206, 212 The other of the ones can be configured to determine the location 302 of the surface 120 of the outer surface 120 of the user's finger. Moreover, in these embodiments, one of the first and second electrodes 206, 212 can be configured as a transmitter, and the first and second electrodes 206, 212 can be configured as a receiver.

On the other hand, in the mutual capacitance sensing system, the first space separation The capacitance between the second electrodes 206, 212 can be determined at each intersection of the grid 402 shown in FIG. Moreover, the dielectric material and/or air gap 210 separating the first electrode 206 from the second electrode 212 can help reduce the mutual determination of the node near the location 302 (eg, the finger of the user's hand 122 approaches the location 302). capacitance. This reduction in mutual capacitance is illustrated by section A of the capacitance diagram shown in FIG. It should be understood that this reduction in mutual capacitance is characterized by the fact that section A of the capacitance map is a negative slope.

Once the conductor (such as the finger of the user's hand 122) touches the position 302, and the conductor begins to apply pressure to the outer surface 120, and the mutual capacitance determined by the node near the position 302 can be increased proportionally. By the contact of the user's finger with the outer surface 120, which is shown in section B in FIG. 6, the mutual capacitance is increased. The addition is shown in section C. For example, when a user's finger applies pressure to the outer surface 120, the mutual capacitance measurement between the first and second electrodes 206, 212 near the position 302 may increase, and the mutual capacitance between the electrodes 212, 218 near the position 302. Measurements may be slightly reduced. The highest pressure applied by the user's finger to the outer surface 120 is illustrated in section D. It should be understood that the increase in mutual capacitance is characterized by the fact that the section C of the capacitance map has a positive slope. Once the user's finger begins to retract from the outer surface 120, the mutual capacitance determined at the node near the position 302 can be lowered again until the finger is spaced apart from the outer surface 120 by the sensing range of the electrodes 206, 212. This reduction in mutual capacitance is illustrated by section E of Figure 6.

Therefore, in some embodiments, by the first and second electrodes 206, The mutual capacitance measurement determined by 212 can be used to facilitate distinguishing between the user's unintentional contact with the outer surface 120 and intentional keys or other similar inputs. For example, the capacitance determined between the initial contact of segment B and the maximum pressure illustrated for segment D can vary from about 2% to about 15%. Moreover, in other embodiments, the determined capacitance can be less than about 2% or greater than about 15%. The relative difference between the mutual capacitance (section B) determined by the finger of the user's hand 122 initially contacting the surface 120 and the mutual capacitance (section D) determined by the maximum pressure applied by the finger to the outer surface 120, Module 116 can be configured to compare these decisions to thresholds associated with unintentional contacts and intentional buttons. In these embodiments, the classification module 116 can be configured to classify the contacts as unintentional or intentional based on the comparisons.

For example, Figure 6 illustrates the capacitance associated with unintentional contacts. The first threshold is associated with a second threshold of the capacitance of the intentional button. In some embodiments, if the first and second electrodes 206, 212 determine the mutual capacitance in the segment F Reduced to a value below the first threshold, the classification module 116 can classify such contacts as unintentional. However, if the first and second electrodes 206, 212 determine that the mutual capacitance increases in the segment G to a value above the second threshold, the classification module 116 can classify the contact as a user intentional key press.

Figure 6 also shows that when the conductor is outside the sensing range as described above, A "touchless" capacitance reference representing the capacitance determined by electrodes 206, 212, 220. In some embodiments, if the difference between the no-touch reference and the measured capacitance is greater than a predetermined threshold (as indicated by the first threshold in FIG. 6), the contact between the outer surface 120 and the conductor can be classified as Unintentional. On the other hand, if the difference between the no-touch reference and the measured capacitance is less than a predetermined threshold (such as the second threshold shown in FIG. 6), the contact between the outer surface 120 and the conductor can be classified as a user. Intentional button. For example, as will be described below with respect to FIG. 7, some of the processes of the present invention can include determining a reference capacitance map, determining the measured capacitance associated with the conductor approaching and/or contacting the outer surface 120 of the keyboard 108, and determining One or more differences between the reference capacitance map and the measured capacitance. Contact with outer surface 120 may be characterized by these capacitance differences (i.e., amounts of change), and these processes may be used with any of the embodiments described herein with respect to Figures 2-5.

Exemplary processing

Figure 7 illustrates a process 700 as a set of blocks of a logic flow diagram. Process 700 represents a series of operations that can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In the context of software, the blocks illustrated in Figure 7 represent computer executable instructions that when executed by one or more processors (e.g., processor 104) perform the operations. Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like to perform specific functions or to implement specific Abstract data type. The order of the operations is not intended to be construed as limiting, and any number of the blocks may be combined in any order and/or in parallel to effect processing. For purposes of discussion, the process 700 is directed to the architecture 100 of FIG. 1 and the keyboard 108 of FIGS. 1-3. However, it should be understood that the process 700 illustrated in FIG. 7 is equally applicable to the embodiment of the keyboard 108 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

At 702, one or more of the electrodes 206, 212, 220 can be determined A first capacitance associated with the keyboard 108 is determined. For example, at 702, one or more of the electrodes 206, 212, 220 can determine a series of first capacitances, and the first capacitances can include a reference map associated with the keyboard 108. The reference map is graphically represented by the touchless capacitance reference described above with respect to FIG.

In an embodiment, the electrodes 206, 212, 220 are operable in an RTR In the middle, the processor 104 can determine the first capacitance (ie, the reference map) at 702 by sequentially directing (eg, in the order 212a, 212b, 212c) the drive voltage to each of the second electrodes 212. In this configuration, when the drive voltage is directed to the electrode 212a, the pair of first and third electrodes 206, 220 can scan the charged second electrode 212a substantially simultaneously to measure and/or determine the drive voltage. This scanning can be performed sequentially by the pair of first and third electrodes 206, 220, such as in the order 206a, 220a; 206b, 220b; 206c, 220c. When no conductor is within the sensing range of electrodes 206, 212, 220, these capacitance measurements can be determined at 702, and in this manner a capacitance reference map can be generated at 702. It should be understood that such a reference map may be generated during power up of keyboard 108 or may be generated during any other use. The baseline map generated at 702 can be stored in memory 106 for later use.

Moreover, in an embodiment, the electrodes 206, 212, 220 are operable In the TRT configuration, the processor 104 can determine a pair of reference maps at 702 by sequentially directing the driving voltages to the first and third electrodes 206, 220, and sequentially scan each of the charged electrodes by using the plurality of second electrodes 212. electrode. For example, in a TRT configuration, a plurality of third electrodes 220 can provide drive voltages in the order 220a, 220b, 220c. In this configuration, when a driving voltage is supplied to the third electrode 220a, the second electrode 212 may sequentially scan the charged third electrode 220a to measure and/or determine the driving voltage in the order 212a, 212b, 212c. The driving voltage may then be supplied to the third electrode 220b, and the second electrode 212 may scan the charged third electrode 220b again in sequence to determine the driving voltage. This process can continue at 702 until each of the third electrodes 220 has been driven and scanned, and due to these decisions, the processor 104 can generate a map of touch references. The touch reference map can be stored in the memory 106 for later use.

Once the touch reference map has been generated and stored at 702, the first Extremely driven and scanned according to the same protocol. Thus, a pressure reference map can be generated at 702, and a pressure reference map can be stored in memory 106 for later use. Additionally, the touch and pressure reference map can be generated during power up of the keyboard 108 or during any use.

At 704, one or more of the electrodes 206, 212, 220 can be determined A second capacitor associated with keyboard 108 is defined. For example, at 704, one or more of the electrodes 206, 212, 220 can determine a series of second capacitances, and these second capacitances can include a grid scan associated with the keyboard 108 that is normally used. For example, during use, the electrodes 206, 212, 220 can make a series of continuous capacitance decisions associated with movement of the conductor (eg, the user's hand 122) with respect to and/or in contact with the outer surface 120. Overall, these decisions are Represents the second capacitor at 704. In some embodiments, the second capacitance decision at 704 may vary depending on the configuration of the electrodes 206, 212, 220. For example, as described above with respect to 702, depending on whether the electrodes 206, 212, 220 are operable in an RTR configuration or a TRT configuration, the protocol for determining the second capacitance at 704 can be different.

In an embodiment, the electrodes 206, 212, 220 are operable in an RTR Centered, the second electrode 212 at 704 can be sequentially provided with a drive voltage as described above with respect to 702. The paired first and third electrodes 206, 220 can then scan each of the charged second electrodes 212 substantially simultaneously in sequence 206a, 220a; 206b, 220b; 206c, 220c. Processor 104 can process the capacitance values determined at 704 and can store these values in memory 106. As the conductor approaches the outer surface 120 of the keyboard 108 at 704, the conductor can begin to shunt a portion of the electrostatic field established by the electrodes 206, 212, 220, thereby causing the second capacitance value determined at 704 to change. More specifically, as the conductor approaches the outer surface 120, the second and third electrodes 212, 220 can determine a reduction in mutual capacitance. As the conductor begins to contact the outer surface 120, the mutual capacitance determined by the second and third electrodes 212, 220 can be used by the processor 104 to determine the contact location 302.

Similarly, at 704, the first and second electrodes 206, 212 can follow A conductor, such as the finger of the user's hand 122, applies pressure to the outer surface 120 to determine the increase in self-capacitance. More specifically, the distance d between the first electrode 206 and the second electrode 212 may decrease as pressure is applied to the outer surface 120 by the user's finger. This reduction in distance d can be facilitated by the use of a soft dielectric material and/or air gap 210 that separates the first electrode 206 from the second electrode 212. More specifically, such soft dielectric materials and/or air gaps can The finger of the user's hand 122 applies pressure to the outer surface 120 at location 302 for compression. The self-capacitance determined by the first and second electrodes 206, 212 as the user's finger applies the maximum pressure to the outer surface 120 can be used by the processor 104 to determine the pressure associated with the contact. The processor 104 can direct information determined by the electrodes 206, 212, 220 into the memory 106 for later use.

In an embodiment, the electrodes 206, 212, 220 are operable with a TRT In the middle, at 704, the plurality of third electrodes 220 and the plurality of first electrodes 206 can sequentially set the driving voltages as described above. Additionally, the second electrode 212 can sequentially scan each of the charged third and first electrodes 220, 206 to measure and/or determine the respective drive voltage. Processor 104 can process the capacitance values determined at 704 and can store these values in memory 106. As the conductor approaches the outer surface 120 of the keyboard 108 at 704, the conductor can begin to shunt a portion of the electrostatic field established by the electrodes 206, 212, 220, thereby causing the first and third electrodes 206, 220 to be determined at 704. The second capacitance value changes. More specifically, as the conductor approaches the outer surface 120, the second and third electrodes 212, 220 may decide to reduce mutual capacitance. As the conductor begins to contact the outer surface 120, the mutual capacitance determined by the second and third electrodes 212, 220 can be used by the processor 104 to determine the location 302 of the contact.

Similarly, at 704, the first and second electrodes 206, 212 can follow The conductor is applied to the outer surface 120 to determine the increase in self-capacitance, thereby reducing the distance d between the first electrode 206 and the second electrode 212. As the user's finger applies maximum pressure to the outer surface 120, the self-capacitance determined by the first and second electrodes 206, 212 can be used by the processor 104 to determine the pressure associated with the contact. The processor 104 can direct the information determined by the electrodes 206, 212, 220 to The memory 106 is for later use. It should be understood that regardless of the TRT or RTR configuration, the increase in mutual capacitance at 704 can be similar to the decrease in self capacitance.

At 706, the processor 104 can receive power from 702 and 704. The information received by the poles 206, 212, 220 determines the pressure applied by the user's finger to the outer surface 120. At 706, the processor 104 can also determine the location 302 of the outer surface 120 of the outer surface 120 of the user's finger based on the information received at 702 and 704. For example, processor 104 can input such information to one or more algorithms, lookup tables, data maps, and/or other components stored in memory 106. These components may output pressure and/or position information that may be used by processor 104 to determine whether to perform an intended task associated with the detected contact. For example, in an embodiment, the electrodes 206, 212, 220 are operable in an RTR configuration, and the processor 104 can determine the difference between the reference map determined at 702 and the plurality of capacitance values determined at 704 (ie, the difference) (delta)). The processor 104 can determine one or more "position" differences between the reference map and a value indicative of a decrease in mutual capacitance caused by the user's finger approaching the outer surface 120. At 706, the processor 104 may also determine a reference map and one or more "pressure" differences between the values indicative of the increase in self-capacitance caused by the user's finger applying pressure to the outer surface 120. For example, the maximum touch difference may be determined between the self-capacitance value of the reference map and the user's finger when contacting the outer surface 120, and the maximum pressure difference may be determined by the maximum pressure exerted by the reference map and the user's finger. Between the self-capacitance values of surface 120 (such as a button).

In an embodiment, the electrodes 206, 212, 220 are operable with a TRT Centered at 706, processor 104 may determine the touch base determined in 702. The quasi map and one or more positional differences between the values of the mutual capacitance reduction caused by the user's finger approaching the outer surface 120 as measured. At 706, the processor 104 may also determine one or more pressure differences between the pressure reference map determined at 702 and the value indicative of the increase in self-capacitance as measured by the user's finger applying pressure to the outer surface 120. the amount.

At 708, the processor 104 can utilize measurements, calculations, and/or The information of one or more of 702-706 is determined to distinguish and/or classify the contact between the conductor and the keyboard 108 as an unintentional or intentional key press by the user. For example, at 708, processor 104 may utilize some or all of the above information regarding 702-706 as input to classification module 116. For example, at 708, the classification module 116 can compare one or more position differences and position difference thresholds at 706. If one or more of the position differences exceeds the position difference threshold, the sorting module 116 can then determine at 706 whether one or more of the pressure differentials exceeds the predetermined pressure difference threshold.

If both the pressure and the position difference are sufficient to exceed, the processor 104 A determination can then be made at 708 as to whether the location 302 of the user's hand 122 contacting the outer surface 120 substantially corresponds to the key 118 of the keyboard 108. This substantial correspondence between position 302 and key 118 may be satisfied if, for example, position 302 substantially overlaps and/or within the outer boundary of key 118 (as defined by at least a portion of outer surface 120). Thus, if one or more position differences exceed the position difference threshold, one or more pressure differences exceed the pressure threshold, and the position 302 of the user's hand 122 contacting the surface 120 substantially corresponds to the key of the keyboard 108 118, the classification module 116 can classify the contact in question as being associated with an intentional button at 708.

On the other hand, if the position difference is less than the position difference threshold, the pressure difference The amount is less than the pressure difference threshold, or the position 302 of the user's hand 122 contacting the surface 120 does not substantially correspond to the particular key 118 of the keyboard 108, and the classification module 116 can classify the first and second capacitances as relevant at 708. Unintentional contact with the outer surface 120.

At 710, the processor 104 can rely on one or more at 708 The classification determines whether the contact in question is interpreted as an intentional input (such as a button). If processor 104 determines at 710 that such contact should not be interpreted as an intentional input, processor 104 may ignore unintentional contact at 712 and control may proceed to 702. On the other hand, if processor 104 determines at 710 that such contact should be interpreted as an intentional input, processor 104 may continue to perform the expected task corresponding to such contact at 714. For example, at 714, the contact can be converted to a gesture by the processor 104 (eg, typing a particular letter/number associated with the button 118, zooming in/out, panning, changing to bold, etc.). This contact can also be translated into other non-textual output such as editing actions (such as deletion, etc.), insertion point navigation, application control, or any suitable input or keyboard function.

The environment and individual components described herein may of course include many other logic The series, the program, and the physical components, of which those shown in the accompanying drawings are only examples of the discussion herein.

Other structures may be used to implement the described functionality and are intended to be Within the scope. Moreover, although specific distributions of responsibilities are defined for the purposes of the above discussion, different functions and responsibilities may be distributed and divided in different ways depending on the circumstances.

in conclusion

Finally, although in certain embodiments specific structural features and/or The language of the act is described, but it is understood that the subject matter defined in the accompanying claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described. Conversely, specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claimed subject matter.

100‧‧‧Architecture

102‧‧‧ Computing device

104‧‧‧Processor

106‧‧‧ memory

108‧‧‧ keyboard

110‧‧‧Auxiliary sensor

112‧‧‧ touch surface

114‧‧‧Display

116‧‧‧Classification module

118‧‧‧ keys

120‧‧‧ outer surface

122‧‧‧User's hand

124‧‧‧Power supply

Claims (20)

A system comprising: a processor; a computer readable medium operative to connect to the processor; and a touch sensing input device operative to connect to the processor or the computer readable medium At least one of the touch sensing input devices includes: a surface; a first plurality of electrodes that are substantially parallel, disposed in a first plane; and a second plurality of electrodes that are substantially parallel, disposed in a second plane The second plane is substantially parallel to the first plane, and one of the second plurality of electrodes extends substantially perpendicular to one of the first plurality of electrodes; the third plurality of electrodes are substantially parallel, Provided in a third plane, the third plane is substantially parallel to the first and second planes, and one of the third plurality of electrodes extends substantially parallel to the one of the first plurality of electrodes And at least one of a soft dielectric material and an air gap, the first plurality of electrodes are spaced apart from the second plurality of electrodes, the first plurality of electrodes and the second plurality of electrodes Electrode Positioning a first capacitor associated with the surface in contact with a conductor, and the second plurality of electrodes and the third plurality of electrodes are configured to determine a second capacitance associated with the surface in contact with the conductor One of the first capacitor or the second capacitor is determined at least in part according to a self-capacitance measurement, and the other of the first capacitor or the second capacitor It is determined at least in part by a mutual capacitance measurement. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to classify the contact between the conductor and the surface as an unintentional contact and an intentional button according to at least one of the first capacitance or the second capacitance One of them. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine a pressure associated with the conductor contacting the surface in accordance with the first capacitance, and to determine the surface of the conductor that contacts the surface in accordance with the second capacitance On one of the locations. The system of claim 3, wherein the first capacitance is determined based at least in part on the self-capacitance measurement, and the second capacitance is determined based at least in part on the mutual capacitance measurement. The system of claim 4, configured to determine the first capacitance and the second capacitance substantially simultaneously. The system of claim 1, wherein the second and third plurality of electrodes are configured to determine a mutual capacitance reduction associated with the conductor in proximity to the surface, and the first and second plurality of electrodes are The configuration determines a self-capacitance increase associated with applying pressure to the surface to the surface. A system comprising: a first electrode disposed in a first plane; a second electrode disposed in a second plane, the second plane being substantially parallel to the first plane, the second electrode extending substantially perpendicular to the first electrode; a soft dielectric material and an air gap At least one of the first electrodes is spaced apart from the second electrode; and a third electrode is disposed in a third plane that is substantially parallel to the first plane, the third electrode being substantially parallel to The first electrode extends and is spaced apart from the first electrode by the soft dielectric material and the at least one of the air gaps. The system of claim 7, further comprising a flexible printed circuit board, the flexible electrode material being spaced apart from the first electrode by the at least one of the air gaps, the second electrode being fixed to the A printed circuit board. The system of claim 7, wherein the second electrode is disposed between the first electrode and the third electrode. The system of claim 7, wherein the first electrode is one of a first plurality of electrodes disposed substantially parallel to the first plane, the second electrode being substantially disposed on the second plane One of the second plurality of electrodes in parallel, and the third electrode is one of a third plurality of electrodes disposed substantially parallel to the third plane. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one of the flexible dielectric material and the air gap are disposed between the first electrode and the third electrode between. The system of claim 7, wherein the first electrode and the third electrode both comprise a capacitive receiver or a capacitive transmitter, and wherein the second electrode comprises the capacitive receiving The other of the or the capacitive transmitter. The system of claim 7, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are configured to determine a first characteristic associated with a surface of a conductor contact based at least in part on a self-capacitance measurement, and the second electrode The third electrode is configured to determine a second characteristic associated with contacting the conductor with the surface based at least in part on a mutual capacitance measurement. The system of claim 13 wherein the first characteristic comprises a pressure applied to the surface by the conductor and the second characteristic comprises a location on the surface of the surface that the conductor contacts the surface. The system of claim 13 wherein the first, second, and third electrodes are configured to determine the first and second characteristics substantially simultaneously. A method comprising the steps of: determining a first capacitance associated with a surface of a touch sensing input device in contact with a conductor, the first capacitance being coupled to a first electrode disposed in a first plane Setting a second electrode in a second plane to determine The second plane is substantially parallel to the first plane, the first electrode extends substantially perpendicular to the second electrode, and is separated from the second electrode by at least one of a soft dielectric material and an air gap; Contacting the conductor with a second capacitor associated with the surface, the second capacitor being determined by being disposed on the second electrode and a third electrode disposed in a third plane, the third plane being substantially parallel to The first plane, the third electrode extends substantially parallel to the first electrode, and is separated from the first electrode by the soft dielectric material and the at least one of the air gaps; Directing information indicating the first capacitor and the second capacitor to a processor, the process being operatively coupled to the input device; using the processor to determine the information applied to the surface by the conductor according to the information indicating the first capacitor Pressure; and determining, based on the information indicative of the second capacitance, a location on the surface of the surface that the conductor contacts the surface. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of utilizing the second and third electrodes to determine a mutual capacitance reduction associated with the conductor in proximity to the surface. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of utilizing the first and second electrodes to determine an increase in self-capacitance associated with applying pressure to the surface to the conductor. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining the first a step of a capacitor and the second capacitor. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of: determining a difference between at least one of the first capacitance and the second capacitance and a respective reference; and at least partially determining the conductor according to the difference The contact between the surfaces is classified as one of an unintentional contact and an intentional button.